With his final season of high school baseball fast approaching, Belding senior Tyler Strevel will no longer be wondering where he will be at this time next year.

The Redskins standout made his college destination official last week, signing to play baseball for Aquinas College.

Strevel said it has always been a dream of his to play college baseball and he is happy and relieved to have his signing completed.

"I have wanted to play baseball in college my whole life," Strevel said. "It is a relief to have my signing done and to know where I am going before the start of the high school season."

Baseball wasn't the only thing to draw Strevel to Aquinas. He said the campus and programs of study were also major factors in his decision.

"Aquinas has a good physical therapy program, which is what I am going to study," he said. "I also like the campus. It's beautiful and right in Grand Rapids."

Over the summer Strevel participated in a few high school baseball showcases, playing with and against some of the top players in the state. During one of those events, Strevel said he was approached by Saints head coach Doug Greenslate and that started the recruiting process.

"Coach said he liked that I was a left-handed hitting shortstop," he said. "He also saw me pitch and said that I have good arm strength."

Strevel said he also received some interest from Kalamazoo Valley Community College and Olivet College while attending baseball camps at those campuses, but Aquinas was the only program to seriously recruit him.

The Redskins will open the season on the road April 9 when they travel to Coopersville for a Ottawa-Kent Blue doubleheader.